As the Chief Operating Officer of an American cell phone case manufacturer, I’m intimately familiar with al the in’s and out’s of factory operations. On this day, like usual, the factory floor was abuzz with the whirring of machinery. But when I walked in, I noticed that something was different. To my immediate left, I saw a sea of broken phone cases in a pile on the floor. And there in the middle of the mess – stood the Chief Engineer and the Factory Foreman who appeared to be having a heated discussion. I stepped in and asked what the problem was. The foreman explained that a specific part was being produced incorrectly. This created flawed cases that had to be rejected because of the imperfections and later fixed by hand. This was resulting in overtime hours, greater expense, and not surprisingly, major stress. The foreman believed the issue was caused by a product design error, so naturally, he wanted the engineering department to fix the problem. He also wanted any overtime expenses to come out of the engineering department budget. However, the engineer squarely placed the blame on a piece of machinery that he believed to be in disrepair. They tried to work it out, but they were at an impasse. And they were looking to me for help.

1. What sources of conflict is the manufacturer experiencing?

2. What different styles of conflict management are available to the Chief Operating Officer? Which do you recommend he use? Why?

3. How can the Chief Operating Officer help to solve the impasse?